Washington On the Brazos
by Scarlet Silverweaver
Summary: The Texas delegation has just finished drafting their Declaration of Independence when Johnny Jones, who isn't technically supposed to be there, hears a noise outside. (Historical Hetalia, OCs)


**A/N: I started reading about the Republic of Texas a while back and thought "hey, this needs to be a Hetalia character", so I drew him and wrote him and decided I needed to figure out his backstory. So here I am, writing the moment he was found.**

**Johnathan (Johnny) Jones is the personification of the American south at this point. (He eventually becomes the Confederacy and renames himself Dixon Morris, but that's another story.) **

* * *

Johnathan Jones wasn't one of the [i]official[/i] Texas delegates. Then again, there was nothing official about Texas anyway, was there? It was just a dissolved Mexican state inhabited mostly by headstrong immigrants from Johnny's lands out east. That's why he was there in the first place.

Johnny looked over George Childress's shoulder at the nearly finished document the five Texas delegates and Johnny had been drafting all night. The not-yet-nation was impatient and more than a little worried. The Alamo was under siege at that very moment and here they were, writing a paper. Why they were here instead of actually doing something [i]useful[/i] was beyond the not-yet-nation's comprehension.

"-we fearlessly and confidently commit the issue to the decision of the Supreme arbiter of the destinies of nations," George finished with a sigh of relief. "We're finally done! Now it just needs to be signed."

"You fellas hear somethin'?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah," George replied, motioning to James Gaines, who was passed out under a blanket on the floor a few yards away. "I think that deadbeat's snorin' again. Hey, Jim, hobble yer lip!"

"That's not it," Johnny said.

"The rain?" George guessed, glaring at the still sleeping James.

"Nah," Johnny said. "It sounds like somethin' outside."

George motioned for the other three conscious delegates, Edward Conrad; Bailey Hardeman; and Collin McKinney, to hush up. After a moment of almost silence in the room (the exception being James's snores and the pitter-patter of raindrops on the window) it became quite obvious that something was going on outside.

"What d'you reckon it is?" Edward asked quietly.

"Rain's too loud to tell," George replied.

"I'm gonna go check it out," Johnny said, unholstering the revolver by his side.

"Careful," Bailey and George said.

Johnny walked over to the door, more than a little trepidatious. It made sense for him to be the one to take a look, since he couldn't really [i]die[/i], but still...

He carefully opened the door to find that there was nothing out of the ordinary in sight. But the noise was louder than before and much clearer. Wait, that couldn't be what it sounded like, could it? Johnny looked down. Indeed it was what it sounded like.

There on the doorstep was a pink-faced, sopping wet, and sloppily swaddled brown-haired newborn baby, bawling louder than a storm siren. Johnny re-holstered his revolver, completely befuddled.

Bailey came to his rescue, picking the babe up with all the ease of an experienced father. "By God, it's soaked to the bone!" the delegate said. "Do we have any blankets?"

George happily yanked James's blanket away from him, much to the older man's dismay. That was the day George learned that age does not necessarily constitute strength and that it still hurts to get punched by a 60 year old man. Especially one who hasn't had his morning coffee.

"Hey!" George exclaimed.

"Break it up!" Johnny yelled at the two, snatching the blanket from the warring duo.

It was only then that James noticed the bawling baby in Bailey's arms. "Where'd that come from?"

"The doorstep," Bailey answered irritably. "Can I have that blanket now? This poor thing is probably freezing."

Johnny held the blanket out to Bailey, who re-swaddled the babe (now revealed to be a boy) rather quickly and did his best to dry him off.

"Wanna hold him?" Bailey asked.

"Um..."

"Here," Bailey said. "Just hold him like this and make sure to support his head."

Johnny nodded, taking in how exactly Bailey was holding the still screaming babe. The delegate handed him over and Johnny did his best to hold the baby like Bailey had shown him. The child immediately stopped crying and something clicked in Johnny's brain. He was a nation. This newborn was the personification of the newly-formed Republic of Texas. Johnny had no idea how he knew this, but he knew it nonetheless.

"I wonder how he got out here," George said.

"I dunno," Bailey said. "He's a new one, too, from the looks of him. Can't be more than a few hours old."

"So his parents are close?" Collin, the eldest of the group, asked.

"Probably," Bailey replied. "I don't think it matters, though. To leave a newborn out in the rain like that... I can't imagine they're halfway decent folks."

"I'll take him," Johnny piped up.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" George asked. "You're not married and you're pretty young..."

"I'm older than I look," Johnny replied haughtily. "Besides, how hard could it be?"

Bailey, Collin, and George gave him a pitying, if slightly incredulous, look.

"You really have no idea, do you?" George asked.

"Must be an only child," Edward commented.

"I have seven older brothers," Johnny said. He'd only met three of them, but no one had to know that.

"That explains it," Bailey said. "Look, Johnny, you can't raise a kid yourself. You need help. [i]Trust me[/i]."

"I think my brothers did alright," Johnny said "and if Alfred could raise me, it can't be too hard." And this kid was also a nation, which meant only another nation or region could effectively raise him without exposing nations' existence and jeopardizing the entire world's safety. Again, no one had to know that.

"You said your brother raised you?" Bailey asked.

Johnny nodded and looked back to the baby nation in his arms.

"So he can help you out?" Bailey persisted.

Johnny nodded again. Texas was whiny and fidgeting. Johnny instinctively rocked the babe and he settled down a bit.

"What'll his name be?" George asked.

"Houston," Johnny answered.

"Isn't that Sam's last name?" said Bailey.

"It suits him," Johnny said simply.

Bailey shrugged. "I guess it does."

"Are we gonna sign this?" James asked, looking over the Texan Declaration of Independence.

"Tomorrow," George replied. "We're all pretty tired and I wanna make sure it makes sense before we sign it."

"Fine my me," James said. "We got anymore blankets?"

"I'll go check," Edward volunteered and promptly left to go in the other room and look for anything resembling a blanket. Probably a rug.

"Hey, Johnny," Bailey said. "If you need any help, just ask, 'kay? I have no problem gettin' up again."

"Thanks, Bailey," Johnny said.

"You'll need to find a wet nurse, ya know," George commented.

"I know," Johnny responded.

"We can go to town tomorrow," Bailey said. "It's too late right now. No one'll be awake."

Johnny nodded again.

Texas yawned. "It's okay," Johnny said. "You can go to sleep. You're safe now."

Bailey smiled at the scene. "Don't screw this up," he said.

"I won't," Johnny said in response.

As he looked at the newborn nation in his arms, Johnny promised himself that he would protect Texas with his dying breath if it came down to that. Not even his and Alfred's boss could tell him otherwise.


End file.
